StanleyxNarrator - Change of Path
by TheSkySpiritsTalentShow
Summary: The other didn t bother responding. He shifted his weight so that he was closer to Stanley s face, their breaths clashing together. He saw the slight fear and confusion in his character s eyes, dominated by a childish look of stubbornness. He chuckled.


"All of his co-workers were gone. What could it mean?"

_Here they were again. The Narrator watched Stanley wander around the desks, looking at mugs and turning off computers. Sometimes he wondered about that boy. _

"Stanley walked around, touching every single thing in the office, but it didn´t do anything neither did it help the story in anyway."

_It helped. Stanley turned and walking out, walking past the rest of the offices till he came to the room with the two open doors. The older male hated this part. He simply couldn´t stand it when Stanley disobeyed him. Did the guy have any idea how much work he put into the story?_

"When Stanley came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his left."

_He watched as Stanley studied doors and then, with a small grin, walked right. He rolled his eyes. _

"This was not the correct way to the meeting room and Stanley knew it perfectly well. Perhaps he wanted to stop by the employee lounge first, just to admire it."

_Perhaps Stanley did. He, on the other hand, found it to be quite boring. A blue room with a few chairs and a vending machine. Stanley seemed to be fascinated with it. He sat on chairs, looked at the paintings and tried the vending machine. It was empty, but Stanley still pressed the button, like some child. The Narrator watched him with befuddled curiosity. Was this character really retarded? Did he really gain amusement from playing around here? Maybe all this brainwashing did do him some harm. _

"Yeeess, really worth it. A room so utterly captivating that even though all your co-workers have mysteriously disappeared, here you are looking at chairs and paintings. Really worth it."

_He had no idea why he used sarcasm on Stanley if the guy was really so immature. But then he heard Stanley snicker. It suddenly clicked that the other was doing this for pure amusement of setting him off. He sat there for a few moments, bewildered. How is that possible if Stanley is a brainwashed employee who hadn´t done anything different for years other than pushing buttons? _

_Something must´ve gone wrong. But then the confusion melted away and something replaced it. He smiled. Two can play that game. _

"At this point, Stanley´s obsession with the room bordered on creepy and reflected poorly on his overall personality. It is possible that this is why everyone had left."

"Maybe." _Stanley responded out loud, startling both of them. _

_It was the first spoken word for weeks other than the occasional _"Yes boss" _and _"See you tomorrow boss"_. Stanley quickly snapped out of it and smirked again as he read some unimportant papers. Damn he was cute…and out of his place. He needed to be reminded who´s in charge of the game._

"Stanley sat around, waiting for more dialogue, but when a long time had passed and there was no more, he decided that the game was trying to send him a message."

_Finally Stanley walked to the door. He took one last look behind him before going out. The door shut behind him, but the character completely ignored it. A closing door was nothing in compare of a constantly criticizing voice voice._

"But at last he had enough of the amazing room and took the first door on the left to get back to business."

_He knew where Stanley was going before he even finished talking. Sure enough, Stanley marched ahead, not even gracing the first door with a glance as he went through the second door. Again, Stanley chuckled. The boy was probably damn proud of himself for being so rebellious. _

"Stanley was so bad at following directions, it´s incredible he wasn´t fired years ago." _No one messes with his story._

"Maybe that is why everyone had left, no one wanted to be around someone as bad as listening as him." _He´ll have to change Stanley´s attitude._

_Stanley walked around, exploring a bit. The employee´s dark eyes were tainted with inquisitiveness and he read blueprints and opened random boxes. Meanwhile, the Narrator watched contently, finding himself admiring the other. Stanley had always been a young and eager worker, even before the mind control started. He remembered it clearly, when Stanley was first told what his job was. The boy´s expression fell and he could read it the dismay of Stanley´s face as the other glanced at his computer. The next day the effects of the Mind Control Facility destroyed any realistic emotions and replaced them with its own. _

_Stanley finally made up his mind where he wanted to go and stepped on the cargo lift. The lift started as soon as the pressure was applied to the center, ensuring that the one riding on it was safe from falling. It had been programmed that way. _

_The dictator sighed, knowing that it was too late for his story to take place. There wasn´t any door that could´ve saved it where Stanley was going._

"Look Stanley I think we´ve gotten off on the wrong foot here. I´m not your enemy really, I´m not." _He added when Stanley glared slightly at the ceiling above him. He hoped that the boy wouldn´t lost his balance and fall backwards to his death._

"I realize that investing your trust in someone else can be difficult, but the fact is that the story has been about nothing but you this whole time. There´s someone you´ve been neglecting Stanley, someone you´ve forgotten about. Please, stop trying to make every decision by yourself."

_Now he had Stanley´s full attention. He could see his character thinking, ´Who is he talking about? Whom have I forgotten?´ He smiled softly to himself. The bait has been taken. Leaning in closer, he continued._

"Now, I´m not asking for me. I´m asking for her." _Stanley froze. ´What?´ _

"This is it, Stanley, your chance to redeem yourself. To put your work aside, to let **her** back into your life!" _Even though the dark haired employee had no idea who __**her**__ was, he seemed to almost lament the fact that he had neglected to care about said female. _

"She´s been waiting." _Immediately Stanley perked up. And the Narrator couldn´t repress his smirk. Stanley picked up his pace, his main goal of complete disobedience completely forgotten before he turned a corner. A door wide open, pitch black inside. The employee hesitated, probably suspecting a trap of some sort. But then he continued forward. When he stepped inside the dark room, the door slammed shut and a light came on. It illuminated a telephone, ringing away on a small table. _

**(A/N: WARNING! Mayor spoiler for (half) of the ending. This won´t spoil everything, but it will tell you what happens after Stanley picks up the phone and the surprise the Narrator has for him)**

"That´s her, Stanley. You need to be the one to do this, to reach out to her. If you can truly place your faith in another, then pick up the phone!"

_Stanley was struggling. He knew it. He could see him trying to decide whenever this was real or not. Whether he would be punished or rewarded for picking up the phone. The black haired male stepped closer and rested his hand on the handle. In a moment of decision, Stanley picked up the phone. As soon as he did, everything went white and he became disorientated. _

_The Narrator watched. Soon, in just a few moments, Stanley will have to answer to him. _

_Speaking of the employee, he found himself standing in a hallway of an apartment, facing a door with the familiar number __**427**_.

"Oh Stanley is that you?" _came a sweet, feminine voice. The employee´s head snapped from looking at the elevator to the door. _

"Hold on sweetie, sorry to keep you waiting. I´m just pulling the bread out of the oven. Alright…there we go. Alright now, I want you to come in and tell me all about _**yOUr daY aT WOrk**_…" _The Narrator couldn´t suppress his laughter when he saw Stanley´s face. The other´s eyes had widened when the door opened and a mannequin slid in his view. _

"Wh-what?" _Stanley asked, jumping back. A moment later he lurched forward as if someone had pulled on invisible strings. Stanley fell into the mannequin. He heard the door slam shut and all the lights flickered off. Seconds later footsteps echoed around the dark room, seemingly coming straight for him._

_The employee tried to scramble to his feet, but he slipped on the mannequin´s arm and fell back down. Before he could break his nose on the cold ground, a pair of hands grabbed him and hoisted him to his feet. They were warm and strong, firmly grasping his shoulders. Without realizing it, Stanley melted, backwards into the touch. He hadn´t felt another human being for who knows how long. It felt so good to feel someone again._

"Stanley." _Came a silky, familiar voice from behind him. The hands holding him let him go and the dark haired boy turned around. It was way too dark to make out details, but Stanley thought he could see the outline of a tall man standing with his arms crossed. _

_It dawned on the employee who was in front of him and he shrunk back before the authority power._

_A hand on his arm stopped him from scooting up too far. _

"You should´ve listened to me, Stanley. If you did, we wouldn´t be here right now."

_Stanley regained his composure and yanked his arm away from the Narrator´s grip, glaring at the other. _

"I´m not going to let my life be dictated by you!" _He hissed. Earning a chuckle and a small shake of the head._

"I see we´re still resistant…Stanley, I have had nothing in mind the entire time but you´re freedom. But maybe you don´t want to be free. Maybe you consciously chose to be stuck here forever…with me. "

"Bullshit." _Stanley´s harsh reply startled him, but the Narrator just raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on his lips. _

"Really? I am the only other person here Stanley. Your boss, your co-workers, they´re all gone. You´ve been trapped in this place for years…any person who had gone through what you have would long for a little love and understanding from…anyone really. And I know you Stanley, better than you know yourself. I am your Narrator after all."

"Sh-shut up! I don´t need you…you…you just toy with my mind the entire time…why should I trust you? If you really want what´s good with me, why didn´t you try to free me years earlier? Why wait this long?" _The employee was shouting, but he didn´t care. It didn´t feel fair…everyone else on earth were able to make choices except him. He was doomed to do what the Narrator wanted him to do. Speaking of which, the older male reached for him again. Stanley turned away, a sulky expression on his face until he felt two arms wrap around him, pulling him back against the other. _

"Let me go, dammit!" _The employee hissed, but the grip never loosened._

"To answer your question, I wasn´t sure if you wanted to be free, Stanley. You might not remember much of your previous life due to years mind manipulation. But you weren´t happy then, always changing your job, moving, wasting time and money. You seemed so content with this job, even without the brainwashing. But recently I realized that even if you did like it here, it isn´t a place for a human. You deserve an outside life, freedom, a chance to start a family or do whatever you want. So I decided to free you." _Stanley noticed the change of tone in the Narrator´s voice when he said the last sentence._

"It seems, however, that you didn´t want my help. At first I thought you were actually retarded, your brain cells too damaged from years of working here to comprehend what I was saying. But that soon changed. You were having fun, going against me, against the one who wanted to help you, who wanted to guide you to freedom.

"I´m done following directions."

"Oh?"

"If I´m going to get out, I want to get out on my own account." _The arms slowly pull away. Stanley felt like he had said the wrong thing and for a moment considered taking it back. But his stubbornness kicked it (a trait he didn´t know he had until now) and Stanley stepped away from the Narrator, turning around to face him._

_The taller man was watching him, with what expression though, Stanley couldn´t tell. His features were completely hidden in the shadows, giving Stanley a feeling of unease. _

"And how are you going to do that? We´re not in the company anymore, you know."

"So? I´ll escape th-this…this pl-place…"

"What´s wrong Stanley?"

_What was wrong with him? He was outside. He was in a different place. For the first time in years, he wasn´t anywhere near familiar corridors and rooms. He was completely alone, except for the Narrator, who´s presence was just about as distracting as the fact that he could __**actually look out the window**__!_

_A hand reached out for him again, but this time Stanley jumped back. He saw the Narrator hesitate and just as he thought he´d won, the invisible force from before shoved him forwards. The Narrator grabbed his upper arms, keeping him in front of the taller male._

"Stop resisting me, Stanley. It won´t do you any good."

"Let me go!" _Stanley struggled. He was furious now. Who does this guy think he is, dictating his life, __**narrating his life**__, controlling his actions? _

"You have no right to treat me like your toy!" _Stanley said._

"I know. I came to the same conclusion not too long ago, but when I tried to help you, try to change my wrongs into rights you mess everything up! Didn´t I tell you I wanted to help you?"

"You lied! You told me I had a lover, but she ended up fake!" _He jerked his head towards the mannequin on the floor._

"I still don´t see how this is my fault. If you would´ve gone through the left d-"

"Oh you, and your fucking doors!" _Stanley spat. _

"Don´t curse."

"Ask me if I give a shit about what you want me to do." _The dark brunette wrenched his arms free and rushed out of the apartment. He didn´t hear any footsteps coming after him to stop him. Fearing the Narrator would summon that invisible force to get him back again, Stanley quickly ran down the hallway and hurried down the stairs. _

_The stairwell didn´t look so long, but after five minutes of running down them, Stanley still hadn´t arrived anywhere. Out of breath and tired, he slowed down to a slight jog, not trusting the area enough to walk._

_Ten minutes later the stairs were still spiraling lower and Stanley started to get suspicious, as well as frightened. Before the feelings could intensify, however, he came across a door. _

_The boy stopped his mad stair descending and opened it, relieved for a change of scene. His face contorted in horror as soon as he saw he was in the very same room he was before, the mannequin still on the floor. _

_He looked around for his dictator and found him soon afterwards. He was sitting on the living room couch, watching him. _

_Stanley growled and marched right out again. But as soon as he slammed the front door he realized he wasn´t standing in the hallway, but in the living room, right next to the Narrator._

"Glad you finally decided to join me again." _The other mocked. He grabbed Stanley´s arm and pulled him onto the couch, pinning him against it._

_The employee wouldn´t have any of it and instead started kicking and fighting, so hard that two arms couldn´t hold him back anymore. Sighing with evident frustration, the taller male swung himself on top of Stanley, straddling him and keeping him in place._

"Stanley!" _He looked down, seeing the younger male suddenly come to a stop, his eyes wide. _

"Wha- get off me!" _Stanley squeaked. The Narrator just smirked. _

"What´s wrong, Stanley? Feeling uncomfortable already?"

"Y-you´re literally on top of me!"

"Is that a problem?"

_To this the employee had no response and so he stopped squirming and glared up at the other. The Narrator leaned back and crossed his arms. For a few minutes, no one moved, staring each other down with vicious scowls and amused smiles. After a while of their contest of power, Stanley realized something in the other´s eyes had changed slightly. _

_He couldn´t quite recognize it, but it made him feel uncomfortable and at the same time he felt…secure. Secure and happy. Blinking a couple of times, his expression morphed into one of surprise._

_As soon as he did, the Narrator´s smirk grew bigger. _"I win."

_Stanley sneered. _"Since when were we holding a staring contest?"

"It was one of those minute unspoken things about us."_The boy looked away. His mind was blank, his face burning painfully and he felt his heart quicken every time a wave of hot breath washed over his skin. _

_The brunette uncrossed his arms and instead placed them on Stanley´s shoulders, pushing them back slightly. Stanley´s head shot up._

"Wh-what are you doing?"

_The other didn´t bother responding. He shifted his weight so that he was closer to Stanley´s face, their breaths clashing together. He saw the slight fear and confusion in his character´s eyes, dominated by a childish look of stubbornness. He chuckled._

"Oh Stanley…it is too easy to break you." _Hesitating one last second longer, the Narrator killed the distance separating them, pressing his lips against Stanley´s._

_A muffled cry of surprise escaped into his mouth, but that was all. Really. Stanley froze and didn´t respond. It didn´t bother his dictator one bit as he, in a flood of urges, kissed harder. Then, he suddenly stopped, pulling back slowly. He opened his eyes and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The Narrator smiled down at Stanley, who was beginning to unfreeze. The employee´s shock melted into disbelief and slight anger._

"Y-you kissed me!"

"Aren´t you a bright boy."

"Why did…did you do that?"

"Why would you normally kiss a person?"

_Stanley didn´t response after that, but he still glared up at his creator, this time with less malice and the Narrator could see a faint blush on his cheeks._

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"Because I´m happy."

_If the second kiss or that simple answer caused Stanley´s face grow even warmer, the other couldn´t decide nor did he care. He was beginning to like this new, shyer Stanley._

_But all good things must come to an end and the Narrator slid off his character, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the apartment._

"Wh-where are we going?" _Yup, he definitely likes this Stanley. _

"I´ve decided to give you another chance." _The Narrator said, opening a random door. They walked down a dark hallway for what seemed like half an hour until they came to another door. Upon entering, Stanley realized that they were back at the office, right before the hallway with the two open doors. _

"Alright, ahem. When Stanley came across a set of two open doors, he chose the one on the left."

_The Narrator took a step back. He was grinning. He winked and said, _"And choose the correct one this time, kay Stanley?"

_With a small laugh and a shake of his head, Stanley walked into said door, hearing the other follow him._

_On they went, a new friendship and love forming rapidly while the Narrator explained and pointed out things Stanley had never been aware of of his coworkers and boss._

_They laughed about the ridiculous slides in the meeting room; the Narrator had to single handedly pull the brunette out of the broom closet when he refused to come out, just to annoy him; together they powered off the Mind Control Facility and stood in front of the exit as it opened._

"So, this is it, huh." _Stanley said._

"Go on, Stanley." _The other responded kindly._ "You´ve been imprisoned and manipulated for the longest time. It´s time to live life the way you want it."

"Alright! I´ll never push another button again!" _The employee joked and they laughed. But then Stanley´s eyes grew dull. _"But if I leave…" _He turned to the Narrator._

_The older male had a familiar evil glint in his eyes. "Who says I´ll be staying here?"_


End file.
